BusinessEurope reacts to deal on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reached by EU co-legislators

5 December 2023 - Commenting on the political agreement reached last night by EU co-legislators on the proposal for an Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, BusinessEurope Director General Markus J. Beyrer said: “We welcome the deal on the ecodesign proposal, but concerns remain about the feasibility of information requirements.”

“The ecodesign regulation has the potential to create a strong market for circular products and accelerate the transition. This deal improves upon the original Commission proposal, including by introducing time for businesses to adapt to the new ecodesign requirements. The deal also seems to avoid the risk of drifting away from the environmental and climate objectives of the regulation by introducing social sustainability and due diligence requirements.

However, we are still concerned that the information requirements will be unfeasible and will overburden actors in the supply chain for reasons unrelated to circularity. For example, the definition of ‘substances of concern’ is too broad and would create legal uncertainties for companies.

The success of the regulation will very much depend on the timely adoption of carefully considered secondary legislation, and we call on the Commission to harness industry expertise in all steps of this process.”